This invention relates to a technique for affording the parties to a telephone call the opportunity to subscribe on a real time basis to one or more telecommunications services.
Advances in telecommunications technology now allow telecommunications service providers such as ATandT to offer subscribers a rich array of telecommunications services. Most services typically require advance subscription by a subscriber. In other words, a subscriber must make a conscious decision to subscribe to a service by providing the service provider with the appropriate billing information to enable the service provider to charge the subscriber for the requested service. In many instances, the nature of the service may sufficiently interest the subscriber to take the time and effort to subscribe. However, because telecommunications service providers offer a plethora of services, many subscribers may not know all the services available to them and whether a particular service is of interest. Consequently, a telecommunications carrier may find it difficult to obtain potentially interested subscribers for particular services.
Some telecommunications service providers offer the same services on both a subscription basis and on a per-use basis. A potential candidate subscriber seeking to use such services on an ad-hoc basis does so by entering a DTMF digit or sequence of digits to select the service, whereupon the service provider provides the service and bills the subscriber accordingly. In some instances, the potential subscriber may not know that the same service obtained on an ad hoc basis is available on a subscription basis, and that such subscription may offer a cost savings based on past usage. If aware of the savings, the subscriber may likely subscribe. Further, a telecommunications subscriber may initiate a call to a called party that subscribes to a service, which, when invoked by that party during the call, may interest the calling subscriber. Unfortunately, telecommunications service providers typically do not offer any mechanism that allows such subscriber to subscribe to one or more services on an extended basis in a xe2x80x9cpoint-of-salexe2x80x9d fashion.
Now-allowed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/508,143, filed in the name of Sally Byrd et at. and assigned to ATandT, discloses a technique for controlling access to a fee-based service, such as a computer telephone support service. A subscriber seeking telephone support dials an associated telephone access number, whereupon a platform ascertains whether the subscriber is eligible (subscribed) to obtain such support. If the subscriber is eligible, the platform routes the call to provide the subscriber the desired support. If the subscriber is not eligible, the platform prompts the subscriber to enter billing information, which when validated, entitles the subscriber to receive support during the same call.
The fee-based service access control technique disclosed in the now allowed Byrd et al. advantageously allows a subscriber, if not eligible to receive support, to enroll with a service provider, and receive the desired support all during a single call. However, as with traditional service subscription methods, the Byrd et al. fee-based service access control technique requires that the subscriber xe2x80x9cpre-establishxe2x80x9d a relationship with the service provider. In other words, the subscriber must still call the service provider to obtain the service.
Thus, there is a need for a technique that allows providers of telecommunications services to offer subscribers the ability to subscribe to services in a point-of-sale manner without the need for the subscriber to necessarily establish a prior accounting relationship before receiving the service. In point of fact, the subscription does not constitute the ability of the caller to obtain the service, since it can still be used on a per-usage basis; but rather to establish a subscriber-specific identity and related service treatments based on the callers desire to subscribe to the offered services capabilities.
Briefly, the invention provides a technique for offering a subscriber of telecommunications services the ability to subscribe to a service during a telephone call. In accordance with the invention, a telecommunication platform monitors a call to determine, when one or more parties to the call invokes a service or service feature, whether the other parties to that call subscribes to that service, and if not, whether to extend an offer to each unsubscribed party. To determine if the parties to the call subscribe to the invoked service, the platform consults a database containing a record of each party to the call, and the services to which that party subscribes. Upon determining that one or more parties do not subscribe and an offer is warranted, the platform extends an offer to the unsubscribed parties, as applicable. The platform may extend an offer to each unsubscribed party to obtain the service for the current call, as well as an offer for the service for all future calls. If the subscriber accepts, then the platform prompts the subscriber for any requisite information, if any, needed to offer the service on future calls. Otherwise, the call proceeds in a conventional manner taking into account the refusal of each subscriber to accept the service.